A Tricksters' Christmas
by emyy250
Summary: While decorating the castle for Christmas, Anansi plays a prank that get him and his fellow tricksters punished. They decide to go to New York and see Puck.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Christmas preparation

The castle was decorated for Christmas. Tinsel and lights lined the halls. Mistletoe was hanging from a doorway or two. There was a large tree in the Great Hall. The scent of food filled the air. But the tricksters weren't allowed to go to the kitchen or work on the tree.

"Why do we have write the fucking name tags?" Coyote whined.

"Because _someone_ made the popcorn string tangle up Peaseblossom." Raven glared at Anansi.

"You laughed." The spider wrote down another name.

"And Oberon enchanted the tags and pens so we can't do anything." Coyote growled. "Doesn't even feel like Christmas."

"Arizona." Raven said.

"I don't live there all the time." He huffed.

"You think Odin will make it snow again?" Anansi asked.

"Maybe." Raven shrugged. "We'll take his snow globe if not."

Coyote's tail wagged. "Still it's not often mortal holidays line up with Avalon's."

"Yeah, Puck would love it." Anansi said unthinkingly.

They got quiet for bit.

"It's not the same without him." Raven admitted.

"He'd figure a way for us use our magic on these." Coyote waved the pen around.

"They'd let him in the kitchen." Anansi sighed.

"Is food all you can think about?" Coyote scolded.

"But his chocolate cake…" He retorted.

The Native tricksters nodded. Puck was the best cook out of all of them. He didn't make food often, but it was always delicious when he did.

"It was pretty ballsy of him to stand up to Oberon." Raven laughed softly.

"How long has it been since we've all seen him?" Coyote asked.

"Too long." Anansi frowned.

"What're you thinking, cousin?" Raven asked.

"There's a wild portal…" Coyote stretched his hand.

"Can't fault a Fae stumbling into that." Raven finished.

They left to enact their plan.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Coffee and stories and games

Owen felt his legs tingle with magic. Puck forced him to go several laps around the entire floor and then to Central Park. Owen sighed and thought up of some explanation for "his" behavior. As they got deeper in the park, Owen realized there was wild magic nearby. Something the trickster would naturally be curious about.

Neither of them were prepared for what they found. His friends had just stumbled out of the portal. Anansi was last. Wild portals were always a rough ride.

"Dude, change into your human form." Coyote shook his head.

"Gimme a minute. They always make me nauseous." He complained.

"Of course they do, fat ass." Raven sneered.

Anansi made Raven fall into the snow. Raven scooped up some snow and threw it at the spider. A snowball fight could easily get out of hand, even more so with tricksters. Owen coughed loudly. Anansi made himself small. Coyote bristled and growled. Raven tried to go for the trees, but his wings weren't having it.

"Don't use your magic; I had a hard enough time getting us here." Puck drawled.

"That's fucked." Raven brushed the snow off himself.

"Puck?" Coyote asked.

"Yup, but the mortal's called Owen." He explained.

The tricksters looked at each other. They hadn't been aware of the full scale of Puck's punishment. It put a damper on things. They stood quietly, unsure.

"Whatever you planned can surely be amended." Owen suggested in a whisper. Any louder and he knew that they'd heard how lonely he truly was. Mortals were fun, but these were his, Puck's, childhood friends.

"Robin's right. We came all this way, might as well enjoy it." Coyote slapped him on the back.

"So, strip club?" Raven asked.

" _I_ don't have a sex drive." Owen emphasized.

"Not even a little bit?" He asked.

"Extremely low. You know how he is when he doesn't get release." He said.

They grimaced. Puck was mean when he was frustrated. And could get nasty if he truly wanted. It was awful thing to behold.

"Can we get out the cold? My nuts are freezing." Raven glared at Anansi.

"Turn human first." Owen instructed.

"Fine." He huffed.

The spider glowed and turned into a chubby Nigerian man. There were dark marks reminisce of his normal body's ones. He was heavy winter clothing. Puck knew he had a tattoo somewhere. Owen reluctantly tried to find it to no success. Maybe it'd be more obvious when they get somewhere warm.

"You must know of a decent coffee shop nearby." Coyote said.

"They won't let us in the kitchen." Raven told him.

"Follow me." Owen led the group out of Central Park.

Coyote soon started complaining about New York and the other two joined. When they got to the coffee shop, the tricksters flirted heavily with the barista. She was relieved when Owen just ordered hazelnut coffee, with extra cream, plus a scone and reminded the others to do the same.

True to his nature, Anansi ordered as many pastries as he saw. Then Anansi ordered an extra-large latte. Coyote got hot chocolate. Raven tried to persuade her join them, but she refused. He then ordered a white caffè mocha. They sat at an empty booth.

"What's with your hand?" Raven touched his stone fist.

"Mister Xanatos wanted to test the Cauldron of Life." He explained.

"That can't be it." Anansi shook his head.

"Before I began, there is something you must know. This was when the gargoyles and Mister Xanatos were enemies. When Fox and Xanatos engaged, he gave her the Eye of Odin. She turned into a werefox for a month before Goliath and Detective Maza helped free her from the jewel. Sometime after, Demona had broadcast a spell which turned anyone to stone. The gargoyles and Xanatos set the sky on fire. The Weird Sisters took Demona and Macbeth to Avalon." Owen started.

"There's a story there." Coyote commented.

"Another time. _Mister Xanatos built a robot of Macbeth and commissioned a statue of Hudson as soon as he obtained the Cauldron of Life. This took a bit a time to complete. Then we sent out the robot-_ "

"Macbot!" Raven interjected. The other two decided that was much better name.

Owen inhaled. " _We sent out Macbot on a hover craft; no, you may not take it for a ride, during the gargoyles' patrol. It attacked them-_ "

"You're skipping the over action." Anansi complained.

"Alexander doesn't interrupt as much as you do." Puck projected the scene into their minds. "Happy?"

"It's not the same." He mumbled.

"Anyway, the important part is that Macbot threw the powder on Hudson. It was actually glitter and sand. _We took Hudson and brought him back to the castle. We went about our day then night fell. Hudson was yelling that he'd get out for a bit. When we came to check on him, he asked why he, Mister Xanatos, kidnapped him and what he wanted._

 _'Nothing much, Hudson. Just your skin.'_

 _He was shocked, but his temper flared. 'You'll have the devil's own task getting it.'_

 _'Really?' Mister Xanantos took out the remote to Hudson's cage and pressed a button that opened a drawer on the bottom. He took a shard of skin 'Gee, that wasn't as hard as you made it sound.'_

 _'So, you through with me?' Hudson asked._

 _'Not quite. I need your help to conduct a small experiment.' Mister Xanatos turned._

 _'Experiment? What kind of experiment?' He repeated._

 _Mister Xanatos summoned a Steel Clan member-"_

"What's that?" Coyote asked.

"A robot that look like Goliath." Owen said.

"Why?" Raven asked.

"Mister Xanatos has his reasons." He shrugged.

"I have your orders." The barista had a tray with her.

Her caramel brown hair brushed her freckled forearms as she unloaded the drinks and pastries onto the table. Anansi began eating. Owen nibbled his scone and tasted his coffee. Her blue green eyes looked over the group.

"There anything else I can get you?" She asked.

"Water, please." Owen said.

"Ok." She left.

 _"He summoned the robot and it carried the box with the cauldron in it. It opened the box then left._

 _'What'll that be, then?'_

 _Xanatos walked up to it, placing his hand on the rim. 'The Cauldron of Life. The legend says whoever bathes in it will live as long as the mountain stones._

 _Hudson hummed, smiling. 'Ah you wish to be... immortal._

 _He comes up from inspecting the side. 'Of course, what good are all the riches on Earth, if Fox and I can't enjoy them forever?'_

 _'How do I fit into all this?' Hudson frowned._

 _'One of the key ingredients in the cauldron's brew is the stone skin of a gargoyle.' He held up the shard briefly._

 _'These ancient talismens are often dangerous, Xanatos. I would've thought your experience with the Eye of Odin would've taught you that.' Hudson reminded._

 _'You could be right. Maybe it would be a good idea to test the brew first. Any volunteers?' He grinned, showing the shard again._

 _Then he turned away and a Steel Clan member poured water in._

 _'You mean to dunk me in that oversized chamber pot?' Hudson raised his brow._ " The tricksters giggled. _"Mister Xanatos looked at him. 'Eventually. The legend says the skin must boil for a night and a day first. So, be patience.'_

 _He dropped it-"_

More giggles.

 _"He dropped it into the cauldron. It smoked and the water turned purple._

 _Mister Xanatos checked his watch and walked back to Hudson. 'If the procedure is successful, I'll release you.'_

 _'And if it isn't?' Hudson asked._

 _'Then you'll have the privilege of giving your life for science.' He retorted._

 _'My clan will never rest until they know where I am!' He said._

 _'But they already know where you are.' Mister Xanatos steps back and I hold up a model of Hudson. The old gargoyle gasped. 'This is just a sculpture's model. The real thing is life sized, and life like. The hardest part was finding a replica for your sword. Still, there's no sense in being complacent. Let's go make sure the other gargoyles don't think to look for him here.'_

 _We turned to leave. Mister Xanatos was ahead of me._

 _'What's in this for you?' Hudson asked me._

 _'Service is its own reward. I would've thought you knew that.' I answered._

 _'Owen, I want the gargoyles distracted.' He called._

 _'Understood, sir.' I left._

Goliath and Lexington must have gone to find help. Because when I send out Macbot, only Brooklyn and Broadway were with the statue." Owen drank some water before projecting the next fight.

"Figures your human would get involved." Raven muttered.

"Someone has to help the heroes." Coyote shrugged.

"I woulda got the island if it wasn't for her…" He bit into a stolen muffin.

"Fuck off, man." Coyote warned.

"May I continue?" Owen asked.

"Sure." Raven kicked Coyote. The Kachina whimpered, eyes promising payback.

 _"Xanatos walked up the cauldron. Hudson is sitting in his cage._

 _'The soup's cooking nicely.' Mister Xanatos commented._

 _'You've obviously gone to a lot of trouble, carving a statue weeks in advance. Tell me something: why me?' Hudson questioned. Xanatos was in front of his cage by this point._

 _'Because you're old. And getting older. I thought you might even appreciate the opportunity.' He smiled._

 _'Growing old terrifies you, doesn't it?' Hudson said somberly._

 _Xanatos takes his hand out of his pocket and clenches it into a fist. 'Nothing terrifies me. Because nothing is beyond my ability to change.' Then he crosses his arms. 'What about you? Wasting your evenings in front of a television set. You're of little use to your clan. You may as well be of some use to me.'_

 _Xanatos started walking away._

 _Hudson stands up. 'Open this cage, and I'll show you how useless I am.'_

 _He looked back and glares. Hudson pound his fist into his hand and growled. When Xanatos is out of sight, Hudson crossed his arms and paced. Then he looked down and grabbed a shard of his stone skin._ " Owen sipped his coffee. Puck showed the fight.

"You herded them to that carpet factory, didn't you?" Coyote asked.

"Gut feeling." Puck admitted. "Anywho, back to moi."

" _Hudson was stone. Xanatos was watching him. I walked up to Mister Xanatos._

 _'We have a field report from Macbeth. He kept the gargoyles busy throughout the night.' I glanced at the paper._

 _'You better watch out, Owen. This Macbeth fellow may be gunning for your job. He's already died for me once on this project. It's hard to top that.' He told me._

Detective Maza got the construction crew to hoist Broadway to the roof. Then it was sunset. Hudson broke out his skin and hid the shard in his belt. He smiled deviously." Puck showed the others what the gargoyles had figured out.

" _The brew was bubbling._

 _'Your bath is ready, Hudson.' Mister Xanatos pressed the button the remote. The Steel Clan member walked toward the cage._

 _It opened and Hudson was restrained by the robot. 'Listen to me Xanatos. What you seek demands a heavy price. I've lived 1100 years, most of my clan is dead and dust. And I'm a stranger in a strange land. Demona and MacBeth are immortal, has it brought them happiness?'_

 _Mister Xanatos holds Hudson's sword aloft. 'Save your breath, Hudson. Death and old age have their price as well. And it's too expensive for me.'"_ He quoted.

Owen was only a quarter of the way through his coffee and he was sure someone had reheated it. Puck realized Anansi had taken his coat off and finally found the tattoo. It was on his lower neck.

"You sure are flashing sideways a lot." Anasi said after the final battle with Macbot.

"I could skip the gargoyles' side of things…" Owen started.

"Nope, I'm good." He said.

 _"Hudson struggled against the robot's grip. He groaned and kicked as it got closer to the cauldron._

 _'Relax, Hudson. Without your sword, you're helpless.' Xanatos tossed it up in the air._

 _Hudson reached to his belt and grabbed the shard. 'Swordless, maybe. Helpless? NEVER!'_

 _He stabbed the robot in the eye and kicked off the rim of the cauldron. He used his wings to glide and kick Xanatos right in the chest. I run to try and help, but Hudson pointed his sword at me._

 _'Behave yourself, boy.' Hudson smiled._

 _Mister Xanatos got up. 'I underestimated you. Very resourceful, using your own skin as a weapon. I suppose you'll destroy the cauldron now.'_

 _'And why would I be doing that? What you choose to do with your life is your own affair... As long as it's got nothing to do with me.' Hudson sheathed his sword._

 _'You're just full of surprises.' Xanatos said._

 _'A friendly word of advice. True immortality isn't about living forever, man. It's about what you do with the time you have. When all your scheming's done, what will your legacy be, Xanatos?' Hudson leaves._

 _I started dialing security. Xanatos stops me. 'No, let him go. He's earned it.'"_ Owen paused.

"This is the last one." Puck showed the gargoyles mourning then relief as they learn Hudson is alive.

 _"Xanatos watched the brew bubble. 'I was close to finding out if the legend was true. Now there's no one to test it on.'_

 _I rolled up my sleeve as I walked toward it. 'Allow me, sir.'_

 _I put my hand in the cauldron. I banged it on the rim. 'It would appear that the cauldron's spell of immortality has a price.'_

 _"Yes, what was the legend? Whoever bathes in it will live as long as the mountain stones. How literal minded. Thank you, Owen. That will be all.' Xanatos walked away."_ He finished.

"5/10 because you cheated on the action." Anansi told him.

"It was ok." Raven slurped the last of his mocha.

"So, where we goin' next?" Coyote asked.

My phone rang. "Hello?"

"Owen, where are you?" Mister Xanatos asked.

"My cousins came to see me, sir." I told him.

"And I suppose they've got their minds set?" He asked.

"Yes, sir." I nodded.

"Just keep damage to a minimum." He requested.

"I'll try." I said.

"Have a good time, Owen." He hung up.

"Your mortal loves you." Raven cooed. Owen wacked him with his stone fist. "Ow. You're definitely one of Puck's."

"Let's go the mall." Coyote said.

"I suppose." Owen agreed. Being inside was preferable.

They paid for their drinks, Owen left a generous tip, and went to Manhattan Mall. At first. Coyote soon realized that there wasn't much do so they left. Owen finished the last of his coffee. He went to throw it away. Coyote stopped him. Owen's eyebrow knitted together.

"Bruh, you need all the women you can get." He pointed to the cup.

He saw that she, Kara, had scribbled her number on the side. He wrote it on a spare business card then threw the cup away. Truthfully, Owen could have memorized the number. But they might think he was rejecting her, and thus be free game, if he didn't obviously accept it.

Then Raven wanted to browse the local stores. Some music, clothes, comics. Anansi visited a few hot dog vendors, which was unsurprising. Coyote embarrassed Raven in front of some women he was trying to pick up. Then they stumbled across a small arcade.

Coyote won at basketball hoops game. Anansi played the DDR style game. Puck wasn't entirely sure how he managed to pull off some of those moves. Magic, his six other legs? Probably some combination. Raven did whack-a-mole and skee ball. Owen played most of the shooting games.

When they were finished, they traded their tickets for prizes. Anansi got a few small toys and candy. Coyote got the giant stuffed bear and a folding chair. Raven got as much as he could of everything. Owen noticed some plastic figures. A black bird, a purple spider, and a brown dog. He raised his eyebrow at the others. They stared back at him. He added them to his bag anyway.

They went to a burger place for dinner. Owen hadn't realized how much time had passed. They ate and reminisced about the day. Then they took him back to the Eyire Building.

"Don't open these 'til Christmas." They each handed him a wrapped present.

"I don't have anything for you." Owen said.

"That's fine." Coyote said.

"But-" Raven was elbowed in the gut.

"We'll have to come back." Anansi told him.

"I look forward to it." Owen smiled.

They went back to Avalon. Owen worked as normal until Xanatos discovered the business card. Owen was all but ordered to take her on a date. 'You can't just leave her hanging like that.' He had said. So, Owen arranged for a dinner at restaurant Fox recommended. Puck was excited. And they had a hit it off too. She was sharp and witty, but also well-read and hard working.

On Christmas day, Owen opened the gifts his friends had given him. Anansi had given him books. Coyote had him some magical artifacts. Raven gave him some small art pieces and paintings. The more Owen looked at them, the more he realized that they were familiar. These were _his._ They smuggled out some of his belongings.

Puck teared up a bit. He forgot how thoughtful they were. Owen laughed when he got to the card. It was raunchy and inappropriate. Figures they would find a way to slip in some humor. They each left a short message. Reminding him that they cared for him. Owen treasured the card and presents.


End file.
